• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Mix all ingredients.
2. Serve 1 tablespoon of herb mix with 1 tablespoon olive oil with bread for dipping.

It seems there’s always something to worry about: natural disasters, current (and potential) wars, shaky finances, relational brokenness, unmet expectations, political/cultural/racial divisions, senseless violence, our kids, our jobs, our health, and more—much more. But many of the things we fear are largely out of our control.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can choose our response.

You can constantly be worried, negative, anxious, fearful, critical, and bitter. Or, you can be known for seeing the good in people, choosing joy, offering encouragement, looking for God’s fingerprints, and always finding something to be grateful for. In either case, the cycle feeds itself.

Like hummingbirds are attracted to sweet things while vultures scour the earth for dead things, we will always find what we are looking for. Why? Because darkness and light both exist. Good and evil are everyday realities. And we must decide who we’ll trust, and how we’ll spend our lives.

There are plenty of scary things happening in the world, but—because of Jesus—there is always good.

Even on our darkest days, Jesus is the light of the world. He’s already carrying the weight of the world on His shoulders, which means we don’t have to. He has already made a way where there was no way, which means we can follow the path He has blazed. The Holy Spirit is already compelling us and leading us and teaching us and comforting us, which means we’re not alone.

The hope we have in Christ isn’t just wishful thinking or positive vibes. It’s hope that’s based on truth—on facts and faith.

So what can we do? The Bible says:

“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

Proverbs 12:25 NIV

We can fight anxiousness with hope.

We can ward off worry with truth-filled encouragement.

We can resist fear by offering life-giving words.

We can refuse to settle for living scared.

We can expose the darkness to light.

So the next time you feel anxiety and fear weighing down your heart, ask God for help and encouragement. Remember, He is closer than a prayer away.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
Serves 6

• 3 pounds russet potatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 leek, white and light green part, diced (or 1/2 of a medium onion, diced)
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste
• 2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, more to taste
• 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping

Toppings:

• Sour Cream
• Diced Fresh Chives

Bake Potatoes: Add potatoes to a large baking tray and poke a few times with a knife or tines of a fork. Coat in a drizzle of oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour, or until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Shred cheese and allow to sit at room temp while you prepare the soup.

Finish Potatoes: Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop out potato flesh and place potato skins on baking sheet.

Drizzle skins with more olive oil, a little more salt and pepper and broil for a few minutes, until crispy.

Cook Bacon: When potatoes are halfway through cooking, add bacon to a large soup pot over medium heat and cook until the fat is rendered and bacon is crispy (8 to 10 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Remove some bacon grease.

Sauté Veggies: Add butter to pan and allow to melt, then add leek and celery. Sauté until tender. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine, for 1 minute. Slowly add chicken broth and chicken bouillon paste, while stirring.

Scoop potato flesh into soup pot, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Add milk and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until warmed through.

Finish Soup: Use an immersion blender to gently puree about half of the soup until you get the texture you want. Don’t overdo it—you don’t want the potatoes to get “gluey” in texture. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese.

Serve topped with extra shredded cheddar cheese, a big spoonful of bacon, sour cream, and a sprinkle of chives. Serve with crisp potato skins for dipping.

Let the words of my mouth and the medication of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

One of the most life-changing revelations we can have is to find out that we can do something about our thoughts. We can practice “on purpose thinking” We do not have to meditate on everything that pops into our minds; we can choose what we want to think about. We can choose power-enhancing thoughts-not power-draining thoughts. We can be deliberate about what goes on in our minds. We can break up with bad habits and form good habits. In fact, learning to think great thoughts on purpose is one of the keys to a great life.

We often allow ourselves to buy into the world’s idea of a “great life”. We may equate greatness with fame, fortune, athletic success, celebrity status, remarkable business or scientific achievements, or physical attractiveness. But none of these constitutes a truly great life. In fact, some of the most famous and wealthy people in the world seem to be some of the most miserable people. To really have a great life, a person must have love, peace, joy, right standing with God, good relationships and other qualities the world does not necessarily consider “great”. Without them, how could anyone’s life be great? Think about it: What do we really have without peace and joy? Think great thoughts today and every day–thoughts of peace, joy, success and love–and see how great your life will be.

• Clicking unsubscribe on spam makes you a bigger target.
• Scammers fake unsubscribe links to steal your login info.

Use your email’s built-in spam button instead.

Your inbox is a disaster. I get it. You’re drowning in emails from companies you don’t remember signing up for, and that little unsubscribe link at the bottom looks like sweet instant relief. One click and you’re free!

Nope. That link might make things worse.

If an email is from a spammer, you waved a flag that says, “Hey, I’m here, and I’m clicking on things!” That makes your email address a bigger target for even more junk.

And that’s the best-case scenario.

The worst case? Scam emails imitate real companies. Your bank, a streaming service, a store you shop at. They include an unsubscribe link that takes you to a fake website designed to steal your login or personal info.

You think you’re opting out. You’re actually handing over your credentials on a silver platter.

🎣 This is how they get you

Cybercriminals have gotten scary good at faking familiarity. They make an email look exactly like it’s from a brand you trust. Netflix, Amazon, your favorite shopping app. The logo, the colors, the sender name. It all feels right. You don’t think twice.

Here’s a number that should wake you up: 1 in every 644 clicks on an unsubscribe link in a promo or spam email leads to a malicious website.

Think about how many times you hit unsubscribe in a month. Five? Ten? Across the country, that’s millions of clicks a day. At those odds, far too many Americans are getting burned every single day trying to stop the junk.

✅ When it’s safe to click

If you are 100% certain an email is legit (like it’s really from Netflix, Apple or Chase), it’s safe to use the unsubscribe link. Big companies play by the rules because they don’t want legal headaches.

But if something feels off, or you never signed up in the first place? Don’t touch it. Delete it and move on.

🛡️ What to do instead

1. Use your email’s built-in unsubscribe button. Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook and others usually show an unsubscribe option near the top of the message, right under the sender’s name. This is safer because it’s managed by your email provider, not the sender.

2. Mark it as spam (but only if it’s actually spam). If you don’t recognize the sender or didn’t sign up, skip the unsubscribe link entirely. Hit “Report spam” or “Junk.” This trains your email to catch this garbage before it ever hits your inbox again.

One more thing. If you signed up for a newsletter and you’re done with it, click unsubscribe. Don’t hit the spam button. When you mark a legitimate email as spam, you’re gone for good. The system boots you permanently, and there’s no way back on the list.

3. Hover before you click. On a computer, hover your mouse over the unsubscribe link without clicking. Look at where it actually leads. If the URL looks strange, has random characters or doesn’t match the sender’s domain, that’s a red flag. Trust your gut.

The unsubscribe button was supposed to give you control. The bad guys figured out how to turn it against you. Now you know better.

🤝 You just learned which links to avoid.